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Bilt Adds 2 New Transfer Partners Including First 3:2 Transfer Rate
Bilt is once again expanding its travel transfer rewards program — and is even breaking the mold with one new partner.
About the new additions to Bilt:
This week, Bilt launched partnerships with two more travel brands: TAP Air Portugal and Accor. As a result, Bilt members will now be able to transfer their points to Miles&Go and ALL Reward, respectively. In total, Bilt now has 18 transfer partners including 13 airlines and 5 hotel brands.
Starting with TAP Air Portugal, Bilt members can now transfer points to Miles&Go at a 1:1 rate. Once transferred, travelers will be able to book flights on TAP Air Portugal or the airline’s Star Alliance partners.
As for ALL Reward, in a first for Bilt, conversions to Accor will not happen at a 1:1 rate. Instead, Bilt Points will transfer to ALL at a rate of 3:2, meaning that 3,000 Bilt Points will earn 2,000 ALL Reward points. Since ALL Reward points have a fixed value where 1,000 points equals 20 Euros, this means that 3,000 Bilt Points would be worth 40 Euros ($43.75 at current conversion rates) at Accor properties. According to a press release, Bilt described this conversion as an “industry-leading point transfer rate.” For comparison, both Citi ThankYou Points and Capital One Rewards transfer to Accor at a rate of 2:1.
What they’re saying:
Commenting on the unique addition of ALL Reward, Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Accor Hotels, bringing our members access to some of the most iconic hospitality brands worldwide at unbeatable value. This partnership not only expands our global footprint, particularly in Europe and Asia, but also offers our members unprecedented 3:2 point transfer rates and flexibility in their travel rewards.”
My thoughts:
Forgive me for skipping over the TAP Air Portugal addition — but I’m far more interested in this new partnership with Accor. For one, it just so happens that my favorite places to stay near Disneyland Paris and in Hong Kong are hotels in Accor’s portfolio. Plus, since the points have a fixed rate, they can be used to cover a portion of your stay. That’s good news since I’m not earning as many Bilt points as I used to now that I don’t rent.
Of course, it is a bit weird that Bilt is now breaking their 1:1 rule, but I suppose it’s for a good reason as this might only be tenable given the fixed value of ALL Reward points. I do think that this presents a good value. After all, getting $43.75 for 3,000 Bilt Points is a heck of a lot better than the $16.50 you’d get if you redeemed those same points for a statement credit. It also bests the 1.25¢ per point you’d get by using points on the Bilt Travel portal.
The only downside is that, in my experience, Accor’s site is kind of buggy. Therefore, if and when I do get around to moving my Bilt Points to ALL Reward, I hope it all works smoothly.
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